Where does “cream” come from?
Cream comes from Middle English creme, from Middle English cromen, from Old English ġecrymman.
cream (English): The butterfat/milkfat part of milk which rises to...
Definitions
- The butterfat/milkfat part of milk which rises to...
Ancestry of “cream”, step by step
cream traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.
via French crème
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | French | crème | cream; cool; café crème |
| 2 | Middle French | chresme | cream (milk product) |
| 3 | Old French | cresme | cream |
| 4 | Late Latin | crama | skim; nominative plural of crāmum; accusative... |
| 5 | Late Latin | chrisma | ointment |
| 6 | Ancient Greek | χρῖσμα | anointing, unction; wall coating, plaster |
| 7 | Ancient Greek | χρίω | to rub or smear (especially the body) with oil or unguents; to anoint |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | gʰrēy- | to smear; to paint, streak, smear |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | gʰer- | to rub; to stroke; to grind |